Fintry - Culcreuch Castle Hotel (Stirlingshire)

Thanks to Tam for this photograph of a Giant Redwood near Glasgow. Tam says he "came across this nice tree today at Culcreuch Castle Hotel which is on the north side of Glasgow in a small town called Fintry. It comes under the county of Stirlingshire. The castle itself has a 700 year history as can be read about on their website. Obviously the owner 100 yrs ago had the foresight to plant a magnificent Sequoia right by the entrance."

Peggy wrote to say "I noticed that in addition to the Giant Sequoia Tam found, there is also a magnificent coast redwood, Sequoia sempervirens, on the grounds, the largest I've seen in Scotland, Coordinates: N 56° 03.750 W 004° 13.048"

Peggy was visiting Culcreuch Castle Hotel to find a geocache there. Geocaching is an absorbing activity that can include all the family and involves using a GPS receiver. A waterproof container is hidden somewhere outdoors and the aim is to track it down using the given co-ordinates. The container usually holds a few trinkets and often a log book to record the date when it is found. It is like a modern version of a treasure-hunt. As well as filling in the log, the person who finds the cache may exchange a gift. A web site that can explain more is called Geocaching.

An example geocache find

The person who hid the geocache at Culcreuch Castle also gave some information: This stunning 13th century castle was used during the filming of Taggart episode 21 called "Secrets", it was shown in 1994 and the building was used for interior and exterior shots. During filming the castle was known as the Fort Lomond Hotel. A cottage in the grounds was also blown up in an earlier episode called "Flesh and Blood" shown in 1989. The tree cover is very heavy so please read the clue as reception is poor on GPS. There are some extremely large and spectacular trees here. Take a little extra time to visit the Dungeon Bar for a refreshment after the cache find (children welcome), for a look inside a very interesting building.